Murder- Ofankor houseboy remanded

An Accra Central District Court has remanded Vanwood Kofi Asante, a houseboy, who allegedly killed his “master” at Ofankor in the Ga West Municipality into police custody.

Asante, who has been charged with murder, had his plea reserved.

He is to reappear on April 7 before the court presided over by Mr Ebenezer Kwaku Asare.

The remand is to enable Asante to assist the Police in investigations.

When the matter was called, Prosecuting Chief Inspector Simon Apiorsornu prayed the court to remand the accused person to enable the police carry out further investigation into the matter.

Asante is alleged to have murdered his 60 year old boss Mr Samuel Kwabena Poku with a shovel at his residence at Ofankor.

Mr Poku had returned to Ghana from London to take part in a friend’s funeral in Ghana and to undertake some projects.

The suspect was said to have told the family that Mr Poku left home to meet some unnamed persons who had called him for a purported meeting.

Based on that information offered by Asante, the family of the deceased proceeded to the Police at Ofankor that Mr. Poku had gone missing.

The Deceased family informed the Police that effort to reach him on phone had proved futile, suspecting that something untoward might have happened to him.

The deceased son then travelled from Kumasi to Accra to inquire about what might have gone wrong.

However, on Wednesday, March 15, this year, it came to light that the deceased’s burnt body had been discovered at Pokuase, near Ofankor and transported to the Police Hospital morgue for autopsy.

According to some residents at Pokuase they suspected that the dead body might have been lynched by armed robbers.

Neighbours of the deceased however became suspicious, caused the arrest of the houseboy for interrogation claiming that they heard the man shouting for help previously.

When the case was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters Asante allegedly confessed to murdering his boss.

The houseboy narrated that he killed Mr Poku after a short argument which resulted from a claim by him (the houseboy) that he had used an undisclosed amount of money to do some maintenance works in the house of his boss and wanted a refund.

However his boss only promised him GH¢1,000 which he (houseboy) claimed was too meagre.

In the heat of the argument, the deceased asked the suspect to pack out of his Ofankor ‘ house, resulting in a fight.

According to the suspect, Mr. Poku used a shovel to hit him, an aggression which he returned by using the same shovel to hit him back.

Source: GNA